What’s left out is the fact that emerging technologies are a
double-edged sword. Whether the internet is a mindless
distraction or the greatest educational tool ever invented is all
in how you use it.

To be clear, there is a real risk in “excessive passivity” -- the
habit of merely consuming information put in front of you, rather
than actively cultivating knowledge in areas that are valuable to
you.

But addressing this problem can be done in a much more pragmatic
way. Consider it a habit audit, or an honest
look at how you are spending your time.

The idea is that you should be seeking out relevant, useful
information that you will apply to your life far more often than
you let random information interrupt you.

The Circle of Control is anything that relates directly to you;
situations where you influence the outcome, like the skills you
build, the projects you create, or the habits you engage in.
Basically, information that improves how you spend your time.

Consider the news. While trying to stay updated on current events
is a noble goal for any citizen, think about what you give the
news, and what it gives back -- you give your attention, energy,
time, and emotional reactions, all for information that you can
rarely utilize.

What some scandalous politician did in a country you don’t even
live in may creep into your Circle of Concern, draining your
focus via an issue that you cannot use later in any meaningful
way. Put simply, 99% of what you will see won’t matter to you.

Compare that to time spent cultivating knowledge on a topic you
care about, or on a skill you wish to develop, and you can see
that who and what you give your attention to has a significant
impact on the type of person you become.

Understanding where your time is going is far more important and
practical than demonizing TV, the Internet, or mainstream news.

The act of “cultivating” simply means getting past service-level
information and building on education that goes beyond the
basics.

When you say that you are going to expand your Circle of Control,
what you really mean is that you’re going to reduce irrelevant
information and spend more time exploring the depths of those
topics relevant to you.

This can take place in a variety of ways:

Improving job skills. The sentiment that
education begins when school ends is one to not take lightly.
Funny that we use terms like “investing” in reference to our
time; when’s the last time you invested in developing the
skills you use at work? It could become the single best
investment in your portfolio.

Experimenting with new interests. You can look
at other people’s vacation photos on Facebook, or you could
read How to Travel the World on $50 a Day
and take the first step in planning that backpacking
adventure you’ve put off. You can watch Shark
Tank, or you could pick up a few business books.

Creating more work/art. We’re all strapped for
time. It’s often the case that the most productive thing you
can do all day is say “No” to things that don’t matter. MIT
professor Alan Lightman only checks email once
every 3 months; imagine what you could create if you just
said “No” to much smaller commitments.

Getting intentional with your learning. The
shocking truth is out: I still read the news. But I seek out my
interests, I don’t just accept what’s on the front page. For
instance, I always read Maria Konnikova’s fascinating coverage
of the brain because it’s proven to consistently be in my
wheelhouse.

Of course, not all information can (or should) have utility. My
random binge sessions of watching The Office re-runs
certainly can’t be passed off as “research” for some skill I’m
developing.

What matters is I feel satisfied with where my time is being
spent as a whole. That’s the most important takeaway of all --
are you giving priority to your Circle of Control? Or is your
Circle of Concern eating up too much of your attention?

This is why I think that the “ news is bad for you ” arguments are missing
some context. Health and happiness are determined by how you
spend your time overall. It’s the compounding interest that
produces the biggest results, not individual swings.

Not watching the news but spending the resulting free time poorly
is like not eating red meat, bragging about it, and then chowing
down on 3 square cupcakes a day.

Whether your guilty pleasure is the news, celebrity gossip,
stupid/silly TV shows, or whatever else, feel free to indulge
once in a while just like you would with a snack -- just make it
a priority to evaluate and develop your Circle of Control.

How you spend your time is how you spend your life, so we should
all try to invest wisely.